Loblolly Pine is the most important and widely cultivated timber species
in the southern United States. Because it grows rapidly on a wide range of
sites, it is extensively planted for lumber and pulpwood. This tree is dominant on 11.7 million hectares (29 million acres) and
comprises over half of the standing pine volume in the south. A medium
lived tree, loblolly matures in about 150 years, with select trees reaching 300
years in age. Sonderegger pine (Pinus &times sondereggeri H.H. Chapm.) is a natural hybrid between loblolly pine and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), and occurs throughout the southeast.

Human uses: Furniture, pulpwood, plywood, composite boards, posts,
poles, pilings, crates, boxes, pallets. Loblolly is also planted to
stabilize eroded or damaged soils. It can be used for shade or
ornamental trees, as well as bark mulch.

Animal uses: Food, cover. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus
virginianus), gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), fox squirrel
(Sciurus niger), bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), and
wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) all utilize both pure and mixed loblolly stands
for shelter. Red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) also use these trees for
foraging habitat and nesting, as do a variety of other bird species such as pine warbler
(Dendroica pinus), brown-headed nuthatch (Sitta pusilla), and Bachman's
warbler (Vermivora bachmanii). Seeds are also eaten for food by sondbirds and small mammals. Standing dead trees are frequently used for cavity nests by woodpeckers.